


The Line Between Sea and Sky

by cartoonation



Series: Skylines [1]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), Disney - All Media Types, Frozen (2013), Moana (2016)
Genre: AU, Angst, Canon Divergence, Crossover, F/M, Fluff, Half of the disney canon now lives in san fransokyo, Modern AU, Oops, Slow Build, disneyverse, hiroana, rated T for some action sequences, side plots related to other movies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-15 13:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9237161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cartoonation/pseuds/cartoonation
Summary: "There was some sort of glint in his gaze- a glint Moana knew all too well.The spirit of an adventurer.Modern Disneyverse AU taking placing in San Fransokyo proceeding the events of Big Hero 6, where Moana is an exchange student and meets Hiro through an accidental encounter.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The narrative is based on Moana and Hiro's perspectives, but other Disney characters do show up more frequently as supporting cast as the story progresses. Tbh, you could probably make a bingo game out of this.
> 
> \----
> 
> Dedicated to a very dear friend of mine and fellow Hiroana shipper.

# PART I

 

**_“Hiro!”_ **

            The teen jolted from the surface of the bakery’s display counter, his eyes wide with shock as he felt the light sting of crumpled newsprint land on his hunched spine. Hiro pulled himself up, rubbing his back as he gave the irritable woman behind him a drowsily flat look.

            _“I’m up, I’m up…”_ he muttered, roughly rubbing the back of a hand over his face as he did his best to keep true to his word. The woman rolled her eyes as she crossing her arms. Her hand clenched to her recent weapon of choice just a little too roughly, telling him that she meant business.

“ _How_ many times am I going to have to wake you up? The café opens in fifteen minutes and the coffee machine isn’t even up!”  she scolded, her foot tapping away on the tile floor.

            “I’m sorry, Aunt Cass,” the teen mumbled simply, adverting his eyes from her stern gaze. Hiro wished he could give her an honest explanation, but the truth wasn’t a luxury he could afford at the time being. His aunt had already suffered enough through the past six months; the last thing she deserved was to agonize over a second nephew. She didn’t need the anxiety. And besides, between college courses and trying to be the leader of the undercover saviors of San Fransokyo, he had barely gotten a wink of sleep the past two months. Her freaking out at the moment over his life choices was probably the _last_ thing his sleep-deprived mind needed, either. 

            Cass softened slightly, her shoulders falling into a softer stance as she saw the distressed look on her nephew’s face. Letting the newspaper down onto the counter, her hand drifted to his shoulder, her eyes trying to meet his.

            “You’ve been sleeping a lot lately. Hiro…is everything alright?”

            _Crap. Of course **now** of all times, Cass managed to catch onto him. _ Hiro immediately looked up at her, trying so conceal his guilt with a forced smirk.

            “Yeah, summer finals are just messing with my sleep, you know?”

            Cass nodded. She still seemed concerned, but as the very least, she seemed to have bought his excuse. She stepped away, pulling an apron from the doorway and tossing it to Hiro as she passed into the back kitchen.

            “Just try not to overdo it, okay? I’ve already got burnt toast in here. The last thing I need is a burned-out nephew, too!” she quipped.

            “I’ll be **_fine_** Aunt Cass,” Hiro yawned back, haphazardly tying his apron around his waist as he went to set up the coffee machine by the register. He knew that the conversation was far from over. But it seemed his aunt had made work once again their priority, at least for the time being. The boy leaned against the back wall of the lobby as he haphazardly watched the coffee brew into the clean pot he’d placed, lost in half-conscious thought as the lobby door swung open, the cheery welcoming bell dinging through the room.

_Wait…had he remembered to lock the door last night?_

**_Nope_ ** _. Nope, he hadn’t._

            The teen looked up at the clock on the wall behind him. _Seven minutes until opening._

_**Crap.**_

            He glanced back into the kitchen, where his aunt seemed too preoccupied with cleaning out the blender to notice. If he acted casual as if it were time to open, she probably won’t pick up on it.

            _Probably_.

            Hiro gave one last yawn, stretching as he grabbed a menu from under the counter and slid into the lobby. He looked around, finding the top of a head peeking out from behind the booth furthest in the back corner of the café.

            The boy’s interest peaked.

            Usually, it was Mrs. Matsuda or one of the other café regulars who liked to arrive first thing in the morning- when the crowds were nonexistent, conversation was small and pleasant, and food was fresh to order. But they were all older; he could only see the back of the customer’s head from where he was at the moment, but from the looks of it, they seemed far younger than any regular Hiro knew. Their hair was wild and free-spirited- rich brunette curls attempted to poke out from a tightly held bun doing its best to retrain them. His curiosity getting the best of him, Hiro shuffled slightly quicker than usual to get to the customer. His eyes peered curiously, observing the girl that sat there, obliviously staring out the window onto the busy street outside as he slid the menu towards her.

            _She most **definitely** didn’t seem familiar._

            Hiro cleared his throat, trying to get her attention.

            “Hi! Welcome to the Lucky Cat Café! What can I get you this morning?” he asked cheerfully, attempting to put on some sort of professional appearance for the stranger. 

            The girl turned her head to look directly up at Hiro, snapping out of her daze to order.

            “Oh! _Sorry_!” she quickly sputtered out, seeming a bit distracted. “I…I might need a _few_ minutes.”

            “Take your time, miss.”

            Hiro quickly nodded, struggling to keep himself together as he politely excused himself and shuffled back to the front counter, feeling his face burn up like fireworks.

_Yep, she was new, alright._

# PART II

 

            As it turned out, leaving home on a whim and moving to one of the biggest cities in the nation- a city _2,400 miles_ away- was a bit less of smooth-sailing and more of a disaster than Moana had expected it to be. Trying to convince the San Fransokyian security that her miniature pig _was_ in fact a legal pet had been enough of a hassle to begin with, but leaving the airport had ended up turning into an even bigger mess.

            The early morning North Californian air had a nasty, cold bite to it that Moana had never witnessed back in Montunui. Naturally, she had left her jacket on the plane in a rush to leave. And even _more_ naturally, she hadn’t thought of asking for a map before heading into the city, still flustered and more concerned about getting Pua to safety before security would inevitably change its mind once again.

            And thus, the teen was doomed to wallow in her misery as she wrapped her arms around herself, aimlessly wandering from street to street in hopes of finding _any_ public park or directory where she could get some sort of direction. Her only source of comfort and familiarity was Pua, rubbing against her bare legs as she trudged along, dragging he suitcase over the cracked pavement. Moana could just _feel_ the awkward gazes of the pedestrians weaving their way around her, giving second glances at her shivering and the miniature pig huddling around her feet.

            Tired and miserable, the girl huffed, finally stopping to rest. She settled down on the steps of some end-of-the-street bakery to recompose herself. She stared down at Pua as she plopped down and pressed her hands between her legs, sorting out her thoughts verbally.

            “Figures my phone died halfway into the flight, huh?” she sighed, resting her chin in her hand. “Finding out way out of here would be _easier_ , too, if everything didn’t look the same. I can’t even _tell_ how far some of these streets go, they’re so crowded!”

            Moana groaned, falling back in defeat on the stairs as her hand accidently brushed over the front door, causing it to open just slightly. She girl paused for a moment, blinking in surprise. She slowly sat up, exchanging curious looks with Pua. The small pig gave an excited squeal, catching whiff of the aromatic smell of sweet pastries and spices that lofted through the doorway.

            The teen’s stomach immediately panged as she caught the alluring mix of scents, suddenly remembering that she hadn’t eaten in who know _how_ many hours since that snack mid-flight. She quickly observed the front window, seeing the lights on inside as some disheveled, half-asleep waiter was brewing coffee far off by the front counter. She smiled down hopefully at Pua, adjusting her purse strap over her shoulder and tying her hair up into a makeshift bun.

            _“Well, at least there’s food, right?”_ she suggested casually as she pushed open the door and slipped inside.


	2. Chapter 2

#             PART I

 

            Hiro nervously fumbled with his notepad as he tried not to stare too noticeably at the girl from across the room. His subconsciously clicked the pen on and off, trying his best to keep himself preoccupied as she decided on her order. He had never been one for pen and paper; yet regardless, they seemed to be a welcomed distraction for the time being.

  ** _Oink._**

            The teen tensed at the noise that emulated from the pastry display across the counter. He blinked, shaking his head and dismissing what he had heard. But no sooner had he done so when a sudden crash sounded across the café.

            **_“PUA!”_**

            Hiro’s head shot up, watching the girl whom he had been serving just moments before now stand on top of the booth, staring in mortified horror at the pastry display. He immediately dashed over to the scene to investigate, fearing that one of the shelves had broken.

 The teen screamed, nearly crashing into the wall behind him. He clasped his hands over his mouth, trying to contain his shock. The girl jumped over the booth, dashing towards him and sliding under the counter barrier.

 “Oh my gosh, I’m **_so_** sorry,” she panicked as she fell to her knees, trying to pick up the squealing pig that had been feasting on one of the display cakes behind the glass. “I thought he was under the table with me! I-I didn’t mean-“

 **“Th-that’s a _PIG_?!”** Hiro sputtered out, still pinned against the wall in shock, trying to comprehend how it had managed to get there in the first place. The girl struggled as she stood up to face him, the small pig squealing in protest as it tried to break free from her grasp. 

 “I guess pigs aren’t an everyday thing here, huh?” she asked sheepishly, petting it between the ears as she did her best to calm it down.

 “N-not really,” Hiro managed, loosening up as he worked to compose himself. _Just act casual,_ he thought. _If you don’t make it a big deal, it’ll seem more normal…right?_

  “I mean, we’re _kind_ of supposed to have this ‘no animal’ rule, b-“

 “-like the _litterbox_ over there?” the girl asked keenly, nodding her head to the litter box that was hiding behind the register.  Hiro blushed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

 “Like I said, _kinda._ ”

 The girl chuckled, seeming to let down her guard a bit. Their eyes briefly met, and the boy couldn’t help but do the same, the tension finally beginning to defuse between them. Curiously, he glanced back into the kitchen, wondering if his aunt had picked up on the catastrophe.  The back door was open, which meant she was probably in the midst of taking out the trash.

 Well, at the least, he wasn’t busted- _yet_.

 “We should- um- _probably_ get that little guy out of sight before my aunt catches him,” he pointed out, nodding back to the lobby.

 “Right…” the girl replied, the guilt-ridden look returning to her face as she slunk back into the lobby ahead of him. She trudged onward, shamefully grabbing her suitcase as she headed back to the front door.

 Hiro’s heart ached as he watched her. He _knew_ having a pig in the house against his aunt’s knowledge was an utterly _horrible_ idea; he frankly couldn’t foresee a single outcome of it ending well. And to be honest to himself, the idea of it breaking free around the lobby again didn’t exactly make himself feel comfortable, either. But that _one_ look was just enough to make him throw caution to the wind, at least for the time being. After all, breaking _some_ sort of rule at least a dozen times a day was Hiro’s specialty. It wasn’t like he was going to start fighting natural instinct now.

 As her fingers brushed against the doorknob, the teen immediately stepped forward to interject.

 “I mean… _probably_ doesn’t mean we _have_ to, right?” he asked, a shy and awkward, yet somewhat mischievous, grin slipping onto his lips. The girl paused, standing there idly for just a moment before turning to glance back at him with a befuddled, yet curious, look.

 “Like,” Hiro continuous, casually slipping into the lobby to lean against the edge of a spare booth. “If my aunt doesn’t find out about the little cake fiasco, there’s no need to make a fuss about it. I mean, I’m pretty sure Mochi is bigger than that thing-“

**_“He.”_ **

 “Huh?” Hiro blinked, confused.

 “His name is _Pua,_ ” the girl corrected him sternly, adjusting her hold on the pig.

 “Got it,” Hiro nodded, trying to remain casual.

 The girl seemed to be a bit uneasy about the idea, but she also appeared rather run down, enough so that it was only a matter of time before she gave in, slipping back into her booth. She locked her arms around Pua and sat him in her lap, careful not to let him slip away again as she went back to overlooking the menu.

 Hiro took no time before cleaning up the mess he’d made. He cut the ruined half of the cake and threw it into the trash by the coffee machine, throwing a few filters on top and pouring just enough coffee inside that the mess wouldn’t be immediately distinguishable. He casually made his way into the back kitchen, acting as if nothing had ever happened.

_“Aunt Cass! Café is open!”_

            The woman looked up as she came back inside, checking the time on her watch. **_“OH!”_**

            “Don’t worry, I’ve got this one!” Hiro assured, showing her his notepad with a raised arm as he waltzed back into the lobby.

            _“Tell them to take their time! I’m almost done setting up!”_ Cass shouted back, picking up pace as she scurried around the kitchen. Hiro gave a thumbs up through the doorway.

            “Don’t worry, I think it might be a bit.”

# PART II

 

 Moana sat her menu straight up, trying to hide herself from the waiter. Her face scrunched up as she flipped through the menu, not sure where to even begin. How much money did she have on her again? Would it be rude to request to order? She groaned, slipping down further into her seat.

 Every time this day seemed like it had hit rock bottom, it had somehow managed to get even worse. The waiter had been the first person she could recall running into that was even _remotely_ her age since she had landed a few hours ago. And of course, just like everyone else in town, she had managed to already make a complete idiot of herself. Part of her wanted to just take her things and run off before the he came back to save herself from further embarrassment. But at the same time, being in the café meant Moana was safe from the bitter cold and stares from even _more_ strangers from outside. Either way, she was doomed.

 “So, what’d you like?”

 Moana jumped in her seat, a small squeak escaping her lips and she sat up straight, Pua wiggling uncomfortably in her arms. She immediately dropped her menu and looked up at the waiter a few feet from her. She’d been so lost in thought that she hadn’t even heard him coming. Scrambling not to make a fool of herself yet again, her eyes darted across the menu, blurting out the first thing she saw.

 “Mango…smoothie?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Got it!” The boy nodded, jotting it down before heading off.

 _Really smooth, Moana_. She thought to herself, slinking back down into the booth. Pua gave a small squeal as he glanced up at her impatiently, to which Moana put her finger to her lips.

 “You’ll be free soon, I _promise._ ”

 As she waited, the girl could have _sworn_ she could feel herself being watched. But every time she looked up, there was only the waiter there, cleaning yet another counter with the most serious expression on her face. She chuckled to herself, her nerves beginning to ease as the time passed, finally having some peace to relax.

 Something about his little mannerisms, the way he stared at the coffee machine before brewing it, or the way he hand meandered through his hand through his hair- it was almost as if she could see the gears in his mind working away, like he was always plotting something. He sure didn’t seem like the usual disinterested teenage part-timer, that was for sure. Something about him seemed _different_ \- mysterious, even- as if there was more to this kid than met the eye. There was some sort of glint in his gaze, a glint Moana knew all too well.

 The spirit of an adventurer.         

 The boy finally returned after several minutes, setting down her order. He stood there rigidly for a moment, as if contemplating something before glancing around and sliding into the booth across from her. Moana blinked in surprise.

 “Hi,” the boy started quickly, sitting straight up with a dazed look on his face as he stared at her.

 “Uh- **_hi_**?” Moana replied, pulling her drink closer to her while Pua’s head popped above the table. The pig tilted his head curiously in time with hers, blinking back at the boy.

 It was as if he immediately realized how awkward he was being. His eyes immediately widened and he shook his head, his shoulders loosening a bit as he adjusted himself in his seat. He cleared his throat, glancing back up at her.

 “So, um, are you new around here? Just curious.”

 “It’s that obvious, huh?” Moana replied sheepishly, averting her eyes down to Pua.

 “No, no! Not really!” the boy quickly interjected. “It’s just, we don’t usually get customers- _or pigs_ \- this early. Well, other than the regulars, I guess.”

 “Oh,” Moana nodded, still rather embarrassed. An uncomfortably long moment of silence passed between the two of them before the boy finally spoke up again.

 “M-my name’s Hiro, by the way.”

 Moana glanced up, catching the awkwardly nervous, but sweet, expression on his face. She suddenly felt a little less concerned, realizing what he was trying to do. Maybe she _hadn’t_ royally screwed up, after all.

 “Nice to meet you, Hiro.”

 She pleasantly extended a hand with a warm smile. He watched her for a moment before quickly shaking it, his hand returning beneath the table as he continued to look on with a curious look.

 ** _“Moana,”_** she added, unable to help but chuckle at his innocent awkwardness.

 “Awesome meeting you, too, Moana,” he smiled back, seeming to become a bit less tense as well. “So, what brings you here?”

 “You mean _other_ than getting lost and hungry?” Moana admitted, laughing through her embarrassment.

 “That’s a pretty good excuse, if you ask me,” Hiro shrugged, laughing along with her.

 “Well, I’m an exchange student…kinda,” she explained as she opened her straw, playing with it as she plopped it into her drink.

 “Seriously?!” the boy asked, leaning into the table as his eyes lit up with fascination. “Where you from?”

 Moana glanced up at him in surprise. Frankly, it was the first _positively_ curious look anyone had given her all morning. “Montunui?”

 “Like as in the _island_?”

 “Yeah?” Moana replied in astonishment.

 “ _Shut up!_ ” the boy gasped. “That’s _sick_!”

 She giggled, finding his fascination rather amusing. “Didn’t know we had such a big reputation around here. Glad to hear it.”

 “Well, I’ve been charting some GPS maps of the ocean for- uh- _stuff_ and it sounded rather familiar,” he replied. “I’ve _always_ wanted to visit the South Pacific, man. It looks _amazing_.”

 “It is!” Moana mused proudly, bringing her straw to her lips. She gasped after taking a short sip, staring down at the drink in shock.

 “What **_IS_** this?!”

 “Um…a mango smoothie?” Hiro asked confusedly. “Right?”

 “ _Oh_ …yeah!” Moana laughed, having forgotten what she’d even asked for. “It’s kind of…amazing?”

 “Well yeah,” The boy admitted cockily, crossing his arms behind his head. “My aunt _is_ kinda of the best cook ever.”

 Moana laughed as she thought to herself. _I’m gonna need to keep this place in mind._

 


	3. Chapter 3

_Hiro Hamada._

Moana lay on her air mattress staring up at the new contact page on her phone. She must of thanked the gods a thousand times already for the encounter; not _only_ had she made her first ally in a city of strangers, but he’d been nice enough to give her directions _and_ lend her a charger for her phone. She sighed, a wistful smile on her face.

Not just an ally, a _friend._

She jolted slightly as she suddenly felt the air in her mattress shift in her direction, her roommate slumped down beside her.

“We were walking _forever_ ,” the red-haired girl groaned face first into the sheets, her limbs sprawled up in every direction. Moana locked he phone, setting it down beside her.

“Well maybe if _someone_ had remembered to pick a meetup spot, we wouldn’t be so sore right now,” she pointed out. The girl mumbled something incoherently into the sheets, too tired to lift her head at the moment.

“You never told me San Fransokyo was so _huge_.”

The redhead rolled her head to the side. “ ** _I_** had no idea, either.”

Moana snorted. “You’ve been living here for what- _three years_ now? Don’t you go outside, Anna? I thought you _loved_ adventuring!”

The young woman forced herself up, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, but it’s _so_ much hotter here.”

“Wait, **_what_**?!” Moana laughed in disbelief. “I was _shivering_ all day- are you serious _?!”_

“Yup,” the girl yawned, stretching her arms. “The summers in Arendelle are _so_ much prettier, too,” she sighed longingly, looking out the dreary window at the clouds blocked out the sunlight above.

“Ugh, the ocean must be _freezing,_ ” Moana shivered at the mere thought of the Scandinavian cold, crossing her legs as she sat up and wrapped her arms around herself.

“But the sky is _always_ awake,” Anna mused, clutching one of Moana’s pillows to her chest. “You should come back with me next summer. There’s _festivals_ and dancing, and chocolate fountains and ice skating. It’s _heaven_ ,” she added dreamily.

“Ice skating in the _summer_?!” Moana flashed a horrified look.

“Well, Elsa helps with _that_ part, of course,” she noted nonchalantly. “But the mountains are _so_ pretty. I mean, they’re _totally_ different than Montunui and there aren’t any coconuts. But we have trolls and icicles and HUGE trees. Oh, and _magic_! I think you’d like it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Moana replied as she smiled and shook her head. “But I don’t promise I won’t turn into a popsicle when we get there.”

Anna grimaced, a shiver running up her spin. “Ugh, it feels _worse_ than it sounds,” she assured, causing Moana’s gut to sink in fear.

“I-I mean, not that I’ve ever BEEN a popsicle before! I mean that would be weird, right?” Anna nervously interjected, trying to correct herself.

Moana rolled her eyes and stuck an elbow into her side. “On a magic mountain? _Totally_.”

Anna gave her a small pout as the mattress dipped one again, this time as Pua snorted and cozily waddled into Moana’s lap. The girl giggled, Moana laying a gentle hand on her small friend.

“You know,” Anna yawned as she stretched her arms, “He looked _way_ bigger on camera. I totally didn’t know pigs could be so cute and tinsy!”

“That’s Pua!” Moana beamed, cuddling him into her chest. Her phone suddenly buzzed, causing the teen to hop to her knees as she eagerly dove for it. Anna tilted her head to the side, watching her curiously.

**_“Anna!”_ **

The two girls diverted their attention to the door, where Anna’s elder sister was standing, struggling to hold a rather large cooler.

“I just got a call from campus, could you keep an eye on the house while I’m gone?”

Anna hoped to her feet excitedly, as if her fatigue from a few minutes prior had never even existed. “Oh, can we come with?!”

Her sister hesitated, using the door frame as support. “One of the freshmen just caused a chemical explosion in the lab and they need help cleaning up. I really don’t think that’s a good ide-“

 _“Seriously?!”_ Anna squealed excitedly, grabbing her roommate’s arm and flying across the room, practically dragging Moana behind her like a ragdoll.

 ** _“Anna!”_** her sister scolded, groaning and charging after them.

“Oh come on, Elsa! Where’s your sense of _adventure!_ ”

Moana gave her a bewildered look, recalling asking the same of her just moments ago. Anna had always been excited and free-spirited, but never one to think before acting. And while Moana _loved_ to hear her tell such stories over video chat, the thought of seeing them first hand was another situation entirely.

“ _Anna_ ,” Elsa seemed to hesitate, her voice soft and eyes worried. But there was a authoritarian tone to it that Moana could not deny, “This is an SGA situation. I _really_ don’t think it’s a good idea for you-“

The redhead rolled her eyes with a groan. “You always say this. Just because you’re the president means I can’t help with _anything_ on campus?”

Elsa sighed, rubbing her temples as she propped her box on her hip. “Please, I’m only trying to-“

Anna gave an exasperated tone, letting go of Moana’s arm and turning her back to her. “Why are you _always_ like this!?”

“Anna, it’s not your job!”

**_“I just want to help you!”_ **

Moana’s eyes darted back and forth between them, feeling pinned into a very uncomfortable dispute. She cleared her throat, trying to remember how he father would have had her mediate a situation like this back home. She timidly wrapped her arms behind her back, carefully stepping in between them.

“You know, if it’s **_such_** a big mess they need the _president_ to come in, I’m sure the school could use all the help they can get right now.”

The two young woman’s gazes slowly drifted to her and Moana winced, not sure if she had made the situation better or even worse. Elsa gave a drawn-out sigh, defusing the tension from her shoulders.

**_“Alright.”_ **

Anna’s face lit up as she turned back, giving her sister a grateful smile and taking the hefty box from her hands. “You should probably get going. We’ll catch up?”

Elsa nodded back with a tender smiled, heading off to the door as Anna propped the box onto her hip.

“Let’s get these in the fridge first.”

“Where are we going?” Moana asked, trying to keep up with her.

Anna beamed. _“Ever heard of the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is kind of short, just setting up characters and exposition. Thanks for reading, and enjoy! ^^


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Big Hero 6 gang blows up a lab and Yzma is probably off with the school cook trying to throw off the president's groove.

# PART I

 

            Hiro’s face was buried in his hands as he shook his head, mortified at the thought that he would probably end up being the one blamed for this mess. He must have told Fred a _dozen_ times not to touch the chemical experiments he and Honey Lemon had been working on- that they were _highly_ combustible and needed to be contained first. But now, here they were, Wasabi struggling to keep Fred down as Baymax sprayed disinfectant over his burnt arm, the rest of the squad struggling to clean up as much of the mess as possible before the Student Government Association arrived to reprimand them.

**_“HIRO!”_ **

            The boy snapped out of his daze, glancing up at the disheveled chemist running towards him.

            “She’s going to be here ANY minute! _¡Ándale!”_

            “Right, sorry!” Hiro responded, tearing off his hoodie to use as a makeshift rag and running to the chemistry table. But just as he pressed it to the oozing surface, a bust of flames flared up, nearly singeing him. Hiro jumped back, yelping in shock.

            “ _Idiot!_ ” GoGo scolded from across the table, in the process of strapping on a pair of safety gloves.

            “Does it _look_ like we have time for safety equipment right now?” Hiro shot back, shaking his hands as he tried desperately to cool them down.

            “I don’t know. You had time to sulk in the corner didn’t you?” she sharply pointed out, tossing another pair of gloves at his head.

 _“Guys!”_ Honey Lemon groaned anxiously, stepping between them to spray some sort of solvent onto the table, causing the bubbling surface to subside. Hiro could already hear the furious clicking of ice-cold heels echoing down the hall outside. He frantically shoved his gloves on as fast as his hands could manage, tearing off nearly half a roll of paper towels before sporadically hurling it at GoGo.

            Oh, they were dead.

            So _very_ , **_very_** dead.

            The lab door swung open with a loud bang, everyone (with the exception of the injured Fred) jolting and turning to the door, all falling silent and pale.

 _“Aaaand here comes the Ice Queen,”_ Hiro mumbled beneath his breath, GoGo roughly elbowing his side and glaring at him from her peripheral vision. The SGA president herself stood in the doorway, tablet in hand as her mouth fell agape at the mess that had once been the robotics laboratory. While typically mild-mannered, the twenty-one year old woman had always had a regal, but powerful, demeanor to her that no one dared dispute. Her hair was always tied into a perfectly braided bun, her suit straightened to perfection with ever-present gloves to match. No one had ever claimed to have seen her fully lose her composure, and _everyone_ prayed that she never would.

            It took perhaps a minute or so for the woman to fully take in the complete disaster laid out before her. But when she finally had, her piercing gaze fell straight upon Hiro. His heart stopped as he prepared for the worst. She plucked her glasses from her head and slipped them onto the bridge of her nose, heel clicking as she approached him.

            “O-okay, in m-my defense, I wasn’t the one who blew it up…th-this time,” Hiro sputtered out nervously, hands raised in defense as he backed into the wall behind him.

            The woman gave a hefty sigh, her gaze turning to disappointment as she pulled her tablet out from under her arm.

            “Mr. Hamada, do you _realize_ how much your messes have cost the robotics department?”

            “Um… _a lot?”_ Hiro asked weakly, grimacing ever so slightly.

            “Fifty _thousand,”_ the woman corrected him, typing away at her tablet. She had thankfully kept a rather large distance from the boy, but her presence alone was enough to make Hiro feel rather cornered at the moment.

 _“Oh…”_ Hiro replied softly, awkwardly averting his eyes to the floor.

Elsa peered up from her screen, watching him for a moment before continuing to speak. “Look, I’m not the dean. I’m not going to expel you right here, I promise.”

            Hiro glanced up at her hopefully.

            “But for the love of _everyone_ , **_please_** stop making such a mess. You’re one of the brightest students our school had to offer, but we can’t afford to keep cleaning up after your…” she looked up at the goo oozing from the ceiling as a drop fell between the two of them, singeing the floor upon impact. “… ** _this._** One more strike, and Vice President Yzma _will_ have you on suspension.”

            Hiro sighed dejectedly. _“Yes, m’mam.”_

            “So for your record- _and mine_ \- I expect this place to be _spotless_ before tomorrow morning. Or I **_will_** be forced to report it. Understand?”

            Hiro nodded his head quickly, standing up straight. “O-of course!”

            Rapid footsteps once again sounded against the hall floor, this time much less elegant. Elsa and Hiro glanced back at the door, where a panting Anna held onto the door frame with her friend behind here.

            “We’re here to help!” she called out triumphantly standing up straight and clasping her hands to her hips.

 _“ Isn’t that the president’s sister?”_ Wasabi whispered over to GoGo, the later silently standing in confusion. But just as Elsa turned to address her sister, another voice rang out among them.

**_“HIRO?!”_ **

# PART II

 

            Moana couldn’t believe her eyes. She pushed her way past Anna, her face petrified in shock at the scene before her. Amidst the flaming goo and chaotic array of college students stood the same boy she’d run into just that morning, now covered in dust and even _more_ disheveled than he’d looked that morning.

            Hiro’s cheeks lit up brighter than the ooze dripping off the walls around him, his eyes bulging wide. It was rather evident that he was equally shocked to find her here as well. The two of them blinked back at each other, too dazed to say anything.

            The SGA president cleared her throat, trying to get the situation back on track as her tablet blared, a notification popping up on her screen. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to attend to _other_ matters at moment,” she declared, turning on her heal and promptly making her exist with haste. As the door closed behind them, Anna’s shoulders slumped, a disappointed look painted on her face.

            “So much for _‘helping’_ ,” she mumbled to herself.  Moana, still unable to break eye contact with Hiro, leaned over to whisper to her.

_“Are we allowed to be here without the president?”_

            Anna pursed her lips, shrugging back at her. “I don’t know. This is…a wee bit… ** _awkward_** …”

            “Hey. **_You_**.”

            Anna and Moana perked up at the dark-haired woman’s voice, her gaze acutely resting on them from across the room.

_“You know the student president?”_

            “Um, she’s _kinda_ my sister?” Anna admitted sheepishly, her hands fiddling with each other. “We-we don’t **_go_** here. I mean, not **_yet_**.” She glanced over at Moana nervously. “I mean, not yet for _me_ anyways. She’s an exchange student. Well, I was too, actually, but then Elsa got accepted here so I just kinda stayed around. B-but the **_point_** is we go to Katsuki Memorial High- not here. Like we were **_supposed_** to help you clean up. I mean, I- ­ _we_ \- volunteered. But Elsa sort of left and now we’re kind of… _here_?”

            “It’s totally cool man!” Fred sat up in his seat, Baymax still attempting to wrap up his arm, the adhesive tape seeming to stick more to the robot than the young man.   


            “I’m not really a student here. I’m just the mascot here. We **always** welcome strangers!”

            “That seems a little… _dangerous_?” Anna suggested.

            Moana, not sure of how much more of this awkward train wreck of a conversation she could watch, happily interjected. “So, _how_ can we help?”

            “We got this,” GoGo replied, flatly, turning her back to them as she returned to cleaning the lab table. “We don’t need your help. But **_thanks_**.”

            Hiro furrowed his brow at the young woman, stepping in.

            “Actually, there are a _few_ things we could use some help on. C’mon. I can show you around.”


	5. Chapter 5

# PART I

 

                Hiro laughed as he tossed the paper towel roll back at Moana.

                “I mean it’s not like I’ve blown this place up _a million_ times,” he defended. “For the record, it’s only been _six_.”

                “That’s _six_ more times than I’ve managed to blow up a school lab,” Moana replied with a smirk, catching the roll with the slightest flair. She adjusted her gloves and tore off a wad, setting the rest down by the back sink.

                “You know, I have to say, I _knew_ there was something weird about you.”

 _“Excuse me?”_ Hiro blinked, not sure if he should take her remark positively.

                “I mean, something about so seemed so _different,_ you know? I had a feeling you were the adventurous type. Well, not _blowing-up-a-lab_ adventurous, but still.”

                “And you could tell all that by watching me make a pot of _coffee_?” Hiro asked skeptically, a smirk of his own creeping up onto his lips.

                “ _Mh-hm._ I have pretty good intuition if I do say so myself,” she bragged confidently, wiping up the ooze from the table.

                “The same intuition that got you lost this morning?” Hiro asked mischievously. Moana gasped, playfully throwing her dirty wad of towels at his face in defiance, to which he quickly evaded.

                “H-hey! That stuff is toxic! Be careful!” Wasabi scolded.

                “Yeah, if you _eat_ it,” Hiro shrugged indifferently, aiming his own wad back at Moana.

                “Look, I’m just saying, that stuff way of _fire_ a half hour ago,” Wasabi argued as she evaded Hiro’s throw. She laughed as she caught it in her hand and spun around. GoGo casually watched the two of them as she walked by, ignoring Wasabi’s rambling.

                “Hey Hiro, _catch!_ ” she shouted tossing her own towel at him. Hiro jumped up, just managing to miss the goal as it landed directly on their classmate’s newly-cleaned utility table.

 ** _“Seriously?!”_** Wasabi groaned in exasperation, snatching it off the table and dropping it in the trash. GoGo shrugged innocently, grabbing the paper roll beside Hiro and sauntering off.  The man muttered under his breath, taking the liberty to walk around and snatch up their trash for them.

                “So,” Moana continued, continuing to gaze back at Hiro as he returned to work. “I take it you’re like Anna?” she nodded over to her friend across the lab, who appeared to have stricken up a rather enjoyable conversation with Honey Lemon.

_“Hm?”_

                “I mean you’re like sixteen-“

                “ _Fourteen_.”

                “ _Wow_. Well, that explains the height thing,” Moana quickly teased before continuing, to which Hiro flashed a flat look. “You must have family that goes here, right? Gotta be cool to get to chill around this place all the time.”

                Hiro suddenly froze, his heart dropping in his chest. For the first time in what had seemed like months, he felt that painfully familiar ache in his ribs as the warmth flowed to his eyes. GoGo looked over at the two of them with a solemn glance. Moana, noticing that he hadn’t replied, looked up from the table, catching the pained look on Hiro’s face.

                “Are…you okay?”

                Hiro screwed his eyes, shut, mentally scolding himself as he tried to pull himself back together. He faked a faint smile, nodding his head. “Yeah, totally. Ooze is just getting to me. I…I’m an only child.”

                The words felt like knives against his throat.

                “I actually go here myself.”

                "What… _seriously_?!” Moana gasped, dropping her towel from the table.

                “Yep,” Hiro nodded, continuing to force a smile. “Pretty sweet, right?”

                “Umm, yeah?!” Moana agreed, picking up the rest of her mess and tossing it in the trash. “You’re a genius?!”

                Hiro shrugged. “Nah, just smarter than everyone else,” he joked.

                Moana playfully stuck out her tongue at him, to which Hiro’s smile finally faded into one a little more natural.

 

 

# PART II

 

                It was in the early hours of the morning when Hiro was finally able to guide Moana and Anna out of campus through the main garden. Moana looked up at the orange purple haze of the horizon, giving a longing sigh beneath her breath, her arms wrapped around herself. Here, there were no overbearing skyscrapers or traffic to take the view away from her. Here, it was quiet and peaceful; it almost- just _almost_ \- reminded her of home. She could feel Hiro’s gaze on her as she pulled herself from her nostalgic trance, giving him a reassuring smile.

                “The view is nice here.”

 _“Yeah,”_ Anna sighed along with her, seemingly caught up in the moment as well.

                “It must be nice living in a small town,” Hiro replied, watching the wistful looks in their eyes.

                “Mostly,” Moana sighed, crossing her hands behind her back as she walked along. “But it gets small. There’s just so much more of the world out there you want to see, you want to _explore_.”

                “Is that why you came here?” Hiro asked softly.

                Moana nodded her head, glancing over at Anna. “We met _years_ ago online for a singing competition,” she chuckled quietly. “We both got beat by some other redhead, but, it was so much fun, I guess we just kept in touch. When Anna moved here, she kept sending me all these pictures. It just…I’d never seen so many people in my _life._ Everything seemed so big, so _endless._ So…when I found out our school was doing an exchange program with San Fransokyo this year, I immediately signed up. I…I even forgot to tell my family,” she laughed nervously, fidgeting with her hair. “Grandmother was happy about it; she always wanted to see the world herself. But my dad…” Her eyes trailed off.

                “…he had different plans for you?” Hiro guess curiously.

 _“Yeah…”_ she finished, sighing and looking back up to the sky. Anna smiled softly, lacing her arm with hers.

                “Sometimes we have different dreams than what the world around us wants, and that’s okay,” she reassured, a glint of empathy in her eyes. Moana looked up at her, giving a faint, thankful smile.

            “Well,” Hiro chimed in, “ _I’m_ really happy you came, too.”

            Moana giggled. “Even though I destroyed you aunt’s cake?”

            “Well, I think we can blame _that_ one on the pig. Besides, she hadn’t even noticed by the time I left. All’s well that ends well, I guess,” Hiro shrugged nonchalantly, gently elbowing her arm.

                Moana nodded as they walked along. As they crossed the exhibition building, she could see the bus stop up ahead. She suddenly caught a familiar name as they walked by the facility’s entrance sign, stopping for a moment to chuckle.

                “The Tadashi Hamada Exhibition Center. Huh! Hamada must be a common name around here!” she joked, softly elbowing Hiro.

                “Isn’t this that new building they opened a few weeks ago?” Anna asked curiously. “I thought my sister said the old one burned down or something like a half a year ago.”

                Moana looked over at Hiro curiously, only to find his arms wrapped around himself, that same painstaking look plastered on his face. Something in her gut told the girl that there was far more to Hiro than he was letting on, but whatever it may have been, she didn’t dare force him to speak of it. Clearing her throat, she tried to divert the topic.

                “So, um, thanks for walking us back!” she said cheerfully, urging them towards the bus stop ahead. The boy on that same forced smiled she recalled seeing earlier, his pain no less evident.

                “Not a problem. I’ll see you guys around.”

                Moana nodded with a faint smile, watching him run off ahead into the night. Anna leaned in beside her.

                “Is he, you know, _okay_?”

 _“I don’t know…”_ Moana whispered, turning back to look ahead as the bus came into view on the road ahead.

 

# PART III

 

                Hiro sat up in his bed as his phone vibrated against his cabinet. The boy sat up groggily, looking down at the only source of illumination to his room.

**[ 3:05 a.m. One New Message! ]**

                He rubbed his eyes, letting out a large yawn as he unlocked his screen.

 **[3:05 a.m.: GoGo]** Why’d you lie to her?

                The young teen felt the guilt gurgle up into his chest as he stared vacantly at the screen for a few minutes. His thumb brushed against the screen, at a loss of what to even say. Finally, the boy surrendered, dropping the phone back on his dresser and pulling his covers back over his head.

 **[3:08 a.m.: Hiro]** I don’t know.

 


	6. Chapter 6

                Moana blinked up at the giant balloon staring vacantly down at her from the edge of the booth, its occasionally blinking orbs filling her with slight sense of unease. In a futile hope that he would somehow go away, she turned back to her friend casually seated across from her, stuffing half a donut in her mouth as she spoke.

                “So, do you just bring that-“

                She briefly glanced back up at the thing, trying to think of how to describe it.

                “ _-marshmallow…thing_ \- with you everywhere?”

                “Pretty much,” Hiro shrugged, aimlessly stirring his straw around his soda cup as he leaned his cheek staring up at his companion with a slight smirk. “He’s part of the family.”

                The robot suddenly waddled forward, its inflated stomach bumping into the table. It turned its body to face Moana, promptly raising a finger.

                “It is not recommended that you- **eat** \- so quickly. Such actions can lead to- **indigestion** \- and- **choking**.”

                Moana coughed in shock, struggling to swallow her food.

                “He was built to be a personal nurse,” Hiro replied manner-of-factly, handing her a napkin.

                Trying to regain her breath, Moana cleared her throat. “So did you, like, _make_ him yourself?”

                Using his tongue to finally catch his straw, Hiro look a long sip of his soda, as if hesitating to speak. Moana keenly watched him, more tempted than ever to ask him about what he’d been evading since they’d met a few weeks prior.

                ”Someone… _else_ made him?” she guessed, her fingers fiddling with her pinky.

                Hiro merely nodded, seeming to take his time sipping away at his straw. Moana signed, leaning against the window and staring outside dejectedly. She didn’t know him yet like she knew Maui; she couldn’t just _go_ asking him to lay out his entire backstory for her. But then again, she had never been one to settle for being kept in the dark as if she were some small child.

                Through the corner of her eye, she caught Hiro staring at her with a sort of apologetic look, but when she turned to face him, it was now _his_ head staring abruptly out the window.

                “Alright, you two hungry kiddos!” Moana perked up, Hiro’s aunt approaching them from across the café. “Is there anything else I can get you two before you head out?”

                Moana shook her head, grateful as ever for her hospitality. “No, I-“

                She glanced over at Hiro, who was still staring out the window.

                “-I think we’re good. But, um, are you _sure_ you don’t want me to pay this time? You’ve given me so much I feel kind of b-“

                The woman beamed, taking their plates from them.

                “Of course not, sweetie! Your home is always our home.”

 _“Yeah,”_ Moana replied halfheartedly, watching as Hiro slid out of the booth, still averting his eyes from her.  “Hey, uh, I need to go get my jacket from my room. So…I’ll be right back.”

_“Hiro.”_

                “Not now, Baymax.”

                Baymax, seeming to have detected something from him, turned and waddled after the boy despite his objection, his vinyl squeaking heard even as he ascended the stares above. Moana watched as Cass gave a mournful sign, her shoulders sinking as she turned to head back into the kitchen. Curiosity finally getting the best of her, Moana instinctively stood up, calling after the woman.

_“Wait!”_

                She turned back around to face the girl, her expression rather shocked at the her sudden urgency.

                “I-I,” Moana stuttered, realizing she hadn’t thought through her actions first. She played with her hands as she briefly glanced down at the floor. “I’ve been…meaning to ask you something.”

                The woman immediately set the dishes down on a vacant booth, crossing back to her as she gave Moana a concerned look- one that she recognized all too well from her own mother.

                “I-I mean…I’ve been meaning to ask _Hiro_ , but he doesn’t really seem to wanna talk about i-it so…”

                She looked up at the woman, whose attention was now strictly on her. Nervous, Moana gulped, trying not to keep eye contact for too long.

                “D-did something happen to Hiro’s- I mean **_your_** \- family? Like whenever I ask about the rest of his family, he kinda gets all quiet. And whenever we walk by the exhibition center on campus, he gets depressed and I feel like every other thing I say bothers him and…”

                She trailed off, not really sure where she was even going with this. Her eyes anxiously darted back to his aunt, her body tensing uneasily as she saw the pained expression on her face, mirroring Hiro’s all too perfectly.

_“He…he didn’t tell you?”_

                Moana meekly shook her head. Cass sighed, sliding into the booth and folding her hands into her lap. _She wanted to talk._ Moana clumsily followed suit, scared that she had just offended her as well.

 _“What…what **has** he told you?”_ his aunt started

                “ _Well_ …he said his parents died in an accident when he was three. And that’s when he moved in with you. And that he was only child?” she revealed hesitantly, trying to recall everything.

                Cass stared off at the table as she brought her hand to her forehead.

                “He’s… _he’s not an only child_ ,” she replied slowly as she struggled to hide a shaky tone.

                “Wait, what?!” Moana gasped, sitting up in her seat, her voice rising. “B-but I thought he sai-“

**_“…what’s going on here?”_ **

                Moana’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach, a guilty sickness taking over as she recognized the voice from across the room. She and Cass brought their eyes to the doorway, where a visible distressed Hiro was standing, tightly clutching to the hoodie hanging limply in his arms.

 _“Hiro…”_ his Aunt started, lifting herself from the table. The boy gritted his teeth, looking away from them both, his arms wrapped around himself defensively as his fists clenched up. Cass looked back and forth between the two of them.

                “I think… _I think you two need to talk_ ,” she continued with sternness in her voice, which Moana knew was undoubtedly aimed at her nephew. She took back up the dishes and immediately left, as if trying to take cover from the storm she’d helped to cause. Hiro learned against the doorway, making it clear to Moana that he had no intentions of coming any closer. The girl bit her lip, rising to her feet and closing her eyes to take a deep breath, this time trying to collect her thoughts before she spoke.

                “Look. I’m sorry. If you don’t want to talk about whatever happened to you…then don’t. But it’s just…you’re hiding something. Something that you’re clearly not over. A-and every time I talk…I feel like I just make it worse. So _please_. If…if you **_do_** want to talk. Tell me what happened. Because I-“

**“ _I’m sorry.”_**

                Moana’s head shot up to look at him. His gaze was still plastered to the floor, his arms wrapped around himself. But his eyes were soft and vulnerable, his defenses all but shattering.

_“W-what?”_

                “I’m…I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner. It just…it still hurts. A lot.”

                Moana’s stance loosened as she bravely took a few steps closer to him, to which the boy surprisingly did not hesitate against.

_“Hiro.”_

                “I…I never knew my parents like Tadashi did,” he gave a sad chuckle beneath his breath, “I guess you could say he and Aunt Cass were kind of like that to me. Well, at least he _tried_ to be, anyways. I wasn’t exactly the popular guy at school, but…Tadashi was always there, always protecting me and taking me to the nurse’s office, you know? He wanted me to go off to college with him but…I was tired. I didn’t want to go through that again. So…I gave up.”

 _“I’m… I’m so sorry,”_ Moana whispered as he took a long pause. Yet, as she opened her mouth to say more, he continued.

                “But he didn’t. He finally dragged me to that nerd school, had me met his friends and…it changed me. They were so different, so nice…he pushed me to get in. He inspired me. He was there through every step. But the day I finally got there…the fire…the fire happened…”

                Moana clasped her hands to her mouth, her heart breaking. _“Hiro,”_ she whispered shakily as she finally found the bravery to finally approach him, her hand gently clutching his shoulder.

                “Thank you.”

                The boy looked up at her, his eyes swollen and red.

_“Thank you for telling me.”_

                Before Moana had time to react, the boy latched onto her, burying his face into her shoulder as he clung to her with all of his strength. Moana let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding, gently returning the gesture. The two of them stayed that way for what felt like an eternity, yet the young teenager didn’t mind in the least.  But just as the moment seemed to die down into a warm, comforting calmness, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Hiro immediately pulled away, stepping back as if he’s suddenly realized how clingy he’d been, his face flustered with mild embarrassment.

                “I-it’s nothing. Probably just Maui going on about _another_ brawl with Tamatoa,” Moana tried to reassure him, only for her phone to blare again. _And again._

                Groaning in defeat, the girl finally unlocked her screen, her face falling into shock.

 **[8:53 a.m.: Anna]** ELSA IS GONE.

 **[8:53 a.m.: Anna]** I CAN’T FIND HER.

 **[8:53 a.m.: Anna]** moana help

                Moana immediately replied, shoving her phone into her pocket. But when she opened her mouth to tell Hiro, she found that the boy was distracted by a news announcement sounding on the television that hung from the lobby wall, a look of shocked attentiveness in his eyes. With no time to spare waiting for him to snap back into focus, Moana quickly bid a goodbye, nearly crashing into two children that were just entering the café as she flew out the door.

 **[8:54 a.m.: Moana]** On my way.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short! Had to move back to campus yesterday and prepare for classes. Plus, I can't resist the opportunity to end on a cliffhanger. ^_^ I hope you all enjoy! (The Disney Cameo Bingo is especially strong this chapter!) 
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you again to everyone for your support! :D

# PART I

_Breaking News: just in from News 14. Local authorities are reporting a blizzard-like occurrence in the Bay area. Sources say that a flash storm appears to have frozen at least three apartments. All known residents but one have been safely evacuated or have reported safe at this time, but causes for the occurrence is still unknown._

“Oh my gosh. Moana, I’m sorry, I have to go-“ as Hiro pulled his attention away from the television, he found that his friend was already long gone from the café. Blinking in surprise, he tried to pull himself together, running a hand through his hair. His aunt poked her head through the kitchen.

“ ** _Hiro!_** Before you go, would you mind serving the two customers in the back for me? I’m still setting up back here.”

Hiro winced, looking back at the two unfamiliar children sitting in one of the front booths, knee-deep in some sort of imaginative debate.

“See, wormholes are happening ALL over the far West. There **_has_** to be a connection here! He’s reopening the portal, I’m telling you!”

“There’s _no_ way he’s coming back, Dip-“

Hiro rolled his eyes. _Since when had the Lucky Café become such an early morning hotspot for kids?_ He did _not_ have time for this.

 _“I’m sorry!”_ he blurted out at his aunt, running out of the room and heading for the stairs. _“I’ve gotta go do something, but I’ll make it up to you I promise!”_

“Hey, Hiro-!”

The boy headed straight for his room before his aunt could say anymore, nearly slipping as he slid under the door way.

“Baymax!” he called out, peering around the corner to check on his partner. The robot, charging beside the wall nearby, opened its eyes. It paused a moment before turning its head and blinking at the boy.

“How can I be of assistance, Hiro?”

“It’s go time!” the teen replied, grabbing Baymax’s hand and dragging him off of the charging station. _“’C’mon!”_ he insisted, yanking at his arm in an attempt to make him move faster.

“You seem- **distressed** ,” the robot noted, waddling along after his patient. Hiro rolled his eyes, having been through this exchange nearly a thousand times now.

“Something happened downtown, we need to check it out!”

“You should exercise- **caution** \- when walking on the- **stairs**. Falling could lead to bodily harm,” the robot replied factually as its vinyl legs squeaked down on each descending step, one by one. Hiro groaned, shushing Baymax with his hand.

_"Will you keep it down?! Aunt Cass is going to hear us!”_

“Will me- **deactivating** \- my speech capabilities at this time help your- **distress**?” the robot asked, tilting its head down toward the boy.

 ** _“Yes,”_** Hiro shot back abruptly, clenching his teeth.

“Then I will deactivate my- **speech capabilities** ,” the robot notified, finally going mute for the time being.

Hiro gave a sigh of relief. _One of these days, he really needed to come up with a better system for getting ready for battle._

 

# PART II

 

It was as if her heart had frozen along with time around her. Moana could not find the will in her body to move, as desperately as she tried. The girl stood petrified, staring up in terror at what had once been their apartment building, now left to be a pile of rubble encased midair within a labyrinth of ice.

“Miss, _please_ , I need you to tell us anything you can remember… we want to help you find her.”

_“I…I don’t **know**.”_

_That voice._ It was weak, so faint that Moana had barely caught it, but it was undeniable. As relief washing over her, the young teen’s body sprung back to life. She followed the sound, her tired legs carrying her as quickly as they could muster. Moana gave a sigh of relief, thanking the gods as she caught sight of her friend, huddled by a police car with blanket draped around her shivering frame. The petite, silver-haired officer beside her had rested a calming hand around her back, evidently trying to comfort her through the investigation.

 ** _“ANNA!”_** she called out breathlessly, falling to her knees beside her as they scrapped against the ridged pavement. Yet, as their eyes met, all the joy Moana had found was once again stolen from her; the look in her friend’s eyes was desolate and barren.

Anna made an uneven gasp, clearly struggling to breathe due to the cold and shock. Moana carefully rested a palm over her icy hand, desperately looking up at the officer for answers. The woman had a gentle, empathetic look in her eyes, almost as if she knew their pain all too well. 

“We’re going to do everything we can,” she reassured softly. Moana nodded, needing no further explanation on Elsa’s whereabouts.

“What…what **_happened_** , though?”

The officer rose to her feet, crossing her arms and tapping her foot as she looked off as the scene pensively.

“We’re not really sure. It looks like some sort of chemical reaction- like a dry ice bomb. It looks like the explosion happened from within the structure, but we aren’t picking up any unusually high traces of carbon dioxide in the area. Records show that there were no large quantities of unstable solutions inside, so honestly? I can’t really tell. So many people have gone missing lately…it could be _anything._ ”

The officer glanced down at the concrete for a brief moment, her eyes screwing shut as her grip around herself tightened. Moana watched her curiously. The woman immediately regained her composure, speedily going on to assure Moana and Anna that everyone else in the area had been deemed safe and accounted for. But that split second of hesitancy mirrored the look in her friend’s eyes all too well.

Moana glanced back at Anna, trying to stay focused on the situation in front of her. As the officer listed off all the residents, the girl’s eyes widened, a sick feeling twisting away at her stomach.

**_“PUA!”_ **

She flew to her feet, her eyes darting between the two young women in a desperate plea.

“Who?” the officer asked, adjusting her hat as she blinked confusedly.

“He’s my pig. **_Where is he?!_** ” Moana begged, her eyes wandering around the scene in a panicked daze. Her body went numb with horror as the officer replied.

“There was no pig, m’am. _I’m sorry.”_


	8. Chapter 8

# PART I

_“Baymax, take us down.”_

            Hiro’s eyes narrowed as they descended onto the scene, unable to believe that what he saw from the distance below could be even real. It looked as if some sort of explosion had been petrified in mid-impact, causing fragments of the building below to blossom in every direction. It was terrifying, yet beautiful; it was unlike anything the boy had ever seen.  As Baymax’s rocket boosters slowly died down, Hiro detached himself from the robot, staring at the structure in a mesmerized trance.

_“Woah.”_

            He pressed his glove hesitantly against the structure, surprised to find it to be ice, not glass.

             _“It…it’s not melting…”_ he whispered to himself, his breath visible as he exhaled. His mouth agape, he glanced back up at his robotic companion.

            “Baymax… can you get us in?”

            The robot put a hand in front of Hiro, signaling him to stand back as he lifted his first, preparing it to launch.

# PART II

            Moana swerved around as she heard a shattering crash emulate from the other side of the building, a cloud of icy smoke rising from behind it. The teenager immediately ran after the sound, leaving Anna and the officer behind as the crowd gasped in shock.

 _“H-hey, wait!”_ the officer called after the girl, reaching out in a futile attempt to stop her.

            But it was too late; Moana’s heart and mind were only on one objective, and nothing else in the world could be seen or heard; nothing else mattered. Panting, she jumped head-first over a police car and dove beneath the line of tape baring the onlookers from the scene. Her eyes narrowed, ignoring the cold as they set in on the newly-punctured hole in the building. It was already crumbling, but she could make it.

            No.

            She **_would_** make it.

            The girl held her breath as she took the dive, sliding into the opening just as the crystalized ice above began to falter, crumbling to the ground and leaving her in complete darkness. Moana felt her body slam into a chilled wall, her scrapped legs stinging upon impact. Groaning as she shook off the pain, the teen reached for her phone in her pocket, using it as a flashlight to guide her. She squinted as she looked around, trying to get a better view of her surroundings. For a brief moment, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until her light feel upon a heavily armored figure across the room. She screeched in shock, immediately clasping her hand over her mouth as her phone fell to the floor.

            The figure jumped as well, immediately turning to face the girl as they tapped the side of their helmet. The visor came down just quickly enough that Moana couldn’t see the face from behind it through the dim illumination from her phone. The girl’s body quivered as she huddled against the wall behind her, staring at the person across from her in shock. The figure remained there, frozen as they gaped back at her, almost as if they were shocked to see her as well.

            Moana took a deep breath, working up the bravery to speak. “Who… _who are you?_ ”

            The figure did not speak, but instead hesitantly approached her, bending down to offer a hand. Moana looked through their shaded visor, struggling to see the person inside, but to no avail. Her eyes trailed down to their glove. Biting her lip, she slowly reached forward, giving them her hand in a leap of faith. The figure pulled her to her feet, holding on until she had regained her balance.

            Moana wrapped her arms around herself, the cold beginning to catch up with her. She collected her thoughts, looking at the figure with more certainty.

            “I…I’m looking for my pig _. Is…is he here?”_

            Before the figure could respond, the girl heard a chillingly familiar squeal from the wall behind her.

 ** _“PUA!”_** she screamed, clasping her hands to the wall as she desperately looked for an opening to break through. The pig squealed again at the sound of her voice, a painful edge to it that her heart could not bear to take. She slammed her body against the wall, her shoulder aching from the force, but her efforts futile. Her breath shook, warm tears streaming down her numb cheeks. _She wouldn’t let this happen._ The girl backed up, getting ready to throw herself yet again. But just as she leapt forward, the figure jumped in front of her, shielding her with their body as they dove out of the way.

 ** _“What are you-?!”_** Moana cried back at them. But before she could finish her plea, a missile of some sort narrowly flew by them, crashing into the wall behind. Moana gasped in shock, clinging to them desperately. As the noise died down, she raised her head, finding a large crack in the wall where they’d just been. She gazed back up at the figure holding her, following their gaze to find a colossal silhouette from across the room. She pushed herself away, seizing her chance.

            She didn’t know if they were friend or foe, but Moana knew better than to take her chances. She was only here for one thing. The teen closed her eyes, taking in a sharp breath as she hurled her body at the newfound crack in the wall, giving it all the strength she had left.

            The world shattered around her; a sharp pain punctured her side as she felt herself suddenly thrown through the air, collapse on the wood floor on the other side. Pua squealed again, this time his cry loud and clear. She mustered the strength through the pain to open her eyes, watching as her beloved companion weakly huddled itself against her chest.

 _“Pua…”_ she whispered with the faintest smile, curling her body around him as the last of her vision faded to black.

 

# PART III

 

            Hiro pressed his gloves as hard as he could against her wound, trying to stop the bleeding any way he could. The pig beside him squealed endlessly, as if begging for him to save her. _He should have stopped her faster. If he’d held her just a little tighter…_

            The boy gritted his teeth beneath his visor as he hung head over her, his hands clenching over her skin. _This was all his fault._ He had meant to save Pua. If Baymax had been given just one more chance at the wall, they could have all gotten out safe and sound. But now, here they were, Anna and Pua looking on in horror as the female officer behind him tried to pull him away.

            “ _Please_ , sir, we need to get her to an ambulance.”

            Hiro knew he needed to let her go. He alone couldn’t save her. But no matter how loudly his mind screamed at him to do so, he found no strength to pull away.

 ** _“Come on!”_** he felt a familiar voice from behind, two strong arms lifting him up from behind and dragging him off of Moana. As the boy looked up, he saw his comrade, GoGo, still firmly grasping his arm. He could feel her stare from beneath her visor. Hiro looked away, clenching his jaw.

 _“She’s going to be okay. We need to find the one who’s missing,”_ the young woman bluntly assured. GoGo had never been the best when it came to comforting others, but Hiro knew that deep down, she was only doing her best to help him, even if it didn’t feel that way. He released the tension from his shoulders, giving up the fight. GoGo finally let him go as Moana was lifted onto a stretcher, trusting him not to run off. Hiro’s gaze wandered back to Anna behind them, the young woman huddled in shock near a nearby police car.

            GoGo, naturally having no fear of hiding her voice if it meant cracking the case, crouched down to meet her eye to eye.

 _“Tell us what happened,”_ she stated bluntly. The officer beside Hiro quickly stepped in.

            “M’am, I’ve already tried to talk to her. I don’t think-“

            GoGo raised a silent hand to her, to which the officer bit her tongue and tapped her foot impatiently. Her eyes stared into the Anna, waiting ever so patiently, fearful determination no doubt hidden beneath her visor.

            “I…we…we were fighting and…she got mad and…” Anna sobbed, her head falling into her hands as her knees pressed into her chest _. “…I thought we were over this.”_

            “So, she created this?” GoGo asked.

            Anna remained silent.

_“And then she ran off?”_

            She weakly nodded her head as her hands remained clung to her face.

            “S…she never met to hurt me. It..it happens when she’s upset. She can’t always c-control it. _Please,”_ she looked up at them. “ ** _Don’t hurt her._** ”

            Hiro crouched down beside GoGo, nodding his head as he rested a hand to her shoulder.

            “She’s safe with us, Miss. _I promise._ ”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A.k.a. the one where Hiro tries to break into the plot of the wrong movie. GoGo isn't having any of it.

            “So, remind me again  _why_ we’re sneaking around the administration building at 2 a.m.?” GoGo asked as she quirked an eyebrow down at her teammate.

            “The last place Elsa was seen outside of the apartment was the Student Government office. Pretty good place to start looking for clues while Baymax scans the area, don’t you think?” Hiro whispered back. The duo stopped on their heels as they heard a loud splash from behind the vice president’s door nearby. They glanced at each other in confusion. With curiosity getting the best of him, Hiro pressed his ear to the door, trying to listen in.

            “WHY DO WE EVEN **_HAVE_** THAT LEVER?!” a voice shouted far off from the other side. Hiro looked up at his friend with a mischievous look on his face, a hand inching towards the door knob. GoGo immediately snatched it, giving him a warning glare.

            “There are some secrets about the Vice President that I’d rather _not_ know,” she hissed abruptly, yanking him back down the hall.

            “Oh, _come on!_ What if she knows what happened to Elsa?!” Hiro tried to ration, to which GoGo rolled her eyes. “I’d rather _not_ get suspended today, _thanks_.”

            “Buzzkill,” Hiro mumbled beneath his breath, a comment which GoGo gladly ignored. She finally set him free as they arrived at the SGA office door. Hiro rustled with the doorknob, looking back at her sheepishly.

            “Hey- uh- got a hairpin?”

            GoGo gave him a flat look as she silently plucked one from her bangs, causing a few purple strands to fall over her eye.

 _“Thanks,”_ Hiro whispered apologetically, turning to fidget with the lock. It opened with a soft “click”. He pushed the door open slowly, trying to keep the hinges from creaking.

            “They _really_ need to upgrade the locks in this place,” he commented as he peered into the lobby. “Guess the science department really _has_ been getting most of the budget.”

            “No thanks to _someone,_ ” GoGo jabbed as she turned the flashlight on in her phone, giving the boy a slight grin. Hiro gave her an unamused glare as he followed in after her, silently mimicking her words to himself.  

            “Hey, over here,” she ushered, nodding her head to a desk by the wall, where Elsa’s name stickered onto the side of it. Hiro crept over to her, quietly pushing back the vacant chair and plopping down into it. He pulled open the main drawer, where every utensil and notepad had been neatly organized, compartmented, and labeled.

            “Looks like Wasabi’s station,” GoGo remarked with a snort, to which Hiro chuckled.

_“Bet they would get along well.”_

            He opened the side cabinet, his eyes glancing over the neatly organized files. They fell on a strange little purple book- its cover worn and blank- that unevenly rested on top.

 _“Odd,”_ he whispered as he pulled the book out, his hand grazing over the cover as he opened it. His eyes widened, immediately passing it to GoGo.

            “It’s Anna’s… _journal_ …?”

            “But that doesn’t make sense…why would _that_ be here?”

            “Maybe…maybe Elsa _took_ it?” Hiro pondered, dragging a hand through his disheveled bangs.

            GoGo shook her head, handing it back to Hiro. “She’s not her five year-old daughter, Hiro. She’s not going to barge into her diary like that. ”

            “But what…what if Elsa took it from Anna because **_she_** was _hiding_ something,” Hiro thought aloud, flipping through the pages.

            “Hiro, that’s a private journal!” GoGo reprimanded him.

            “GoGo, think about it. What if Anna wrote something in here- something **_Elsa_** was trying to hide.” Hiro realized, his fingers stopping on a rather peculiar page, where the girl’s handwriting had become less refined and more frantic.

            “We know Elsa caused that explosion, but we don’t know _how.”_

            “So you think Anna knows more than she’s letting on?” GoGo asked, her hands at her hips as she gave an inquisitive look.

 _“Exactly!”_ Hiro whispered back excitedly, slipping the book under his jacket. “Come on, let’s get out of her before we get caught,” he whispered, carefully closing the cabinet and readjusting everything to the way it had been found.

 

# ______

 

            Hiro’s eyes were wide, as if he’d forgotten to blink. He sat at the end of his bed, his legs dangling off the edge as he read Anna’s journal entry in disbelief. GoGo sat on his cluttered desk across from the teen, hands folded over her chin as she watched him pensively.

            “This…this doesn’t make any sense. _There has to be some other explanation,”_ the boy said, flipping through the pages for perhaps the fiftieth time. People can’t just **_create_** ice.

            “But it would make sense on how that flash freeze happened,” GoGo tried to suggest, frankly just as confused as he was. The boy looked over at his robotic companion, narrowing his eyes as he tried to come up with some sort of lead.

            “Wait a second,” he thought aloud as he tapped the spine of the journal to his chin. He extended the edge of the book at Baymax as his thoughts came together. “Baymax! That last time we blew up the lab…did you scan her?”

            The robot quirked its head down at him.

            “I am programmed to access everyone’s needs.”

            “Can you pull up a diagram of her analysis results?”

            The robot looked down at its stomach as its data screen lit up, listing her diagnostics. Hiro leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared intently at it.

            “Okay…yeah…normal… _wait!_ ” He hopped off of the bed, staring at the screen in disbelieve. _“Current body temperature was 31_ _⁰?!_ Baymax, are your sensors calibrated?”

            The robot blinked. “All of my systems are in- **optimal** \- condition.”

 _“Scan me,”_ Hiro demanded, raising his arms up and facing Baymax directly.

            “Your- temperature- is currently 98.5 degrees- Fahrenheit.”

            Hiro looked back at GoGo, the two exchanging concerned looks.

 ** _What_** was Elsa?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit shorter, but I figured the angst train could probably use a bit of a break for at least a chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

# PART I

 

            Moana sat numbly on her bed, quietly watching Anna from across the hospital room; the young woman was trying her best to fight back tears, a hand over her mouth as she let her phone drop to her side.

 _“This is all my fault…”_ she whispered softly, her voice fragile like glass.

            “At least she’s safe,” Moana quietly tried to comfort her. “We know where she is now.”

            “I…I just thought, if maybe, just _maybe_ if she’d come with me, she’d see that the rest world was wonderful. That just like Arendelle, the people here would love her, too,” Anna whispered softly, wrapping her arms protectively around herself.  “You know,” she sniffed, looking up at Moana. “Since we were kids, she _loved_ to build things with ice in our house- fortresses, little castles…I don’t remember a lot of it, but…” Anna touched the side of her head, a bittersweet smile on her lips. “She’s told me a lot of the stories.”

            Moana silently watched her. All she wanted to do was to comfort her friend- to tell her ‘ _it all would be okay_.’ But she knew she couldn’t. Moana didn’t know if it even could be; she had never lost family like Anna and Hiro had. How could she _begin_ to imagine how to make it better? All she could do was stay by her friend’s side, giving her the emotional support of her presence at the very least.

            Anna continued, her eyes trailing away.

            “She still loves building things, too. So, when I came here- to this city- I thought that maybe, just _maybe_ she could learn to do it for real. She could build castles _forever_ , just like she always wanted. I _pushed_ her to come to San Fransokyo, I _pushed_ her to go to school here. I _pushed_ her to study architecture. I… _I pushed her too far._ ”

            “No,” Moana abruptly interjected. Anna looked up at the teenager, caught off-guard by the sudden sternness in her voice.

            “You were being her sister. Everything you did…it was for **_her_**.”

 _“Writing secrets in a journal wasn’t!”_ Anna protested, a hand clutching over her chest as she raised her voice.

            “It was a _journal_. It’s not like you were shouting it for all the world to hear,” Moana objected. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Anna, _you did nothing wrong._ ”

 _“Then why did she leave?”_ Anna whispered, her voice almost inaudible as it finally cracked. The words hit Moana hard; they stung with a raw pain that fell too close to home. Her mind flashed to the look on her father’s face, that look of _betrayal_ in his eyes as he had caught Moana on the porch with her suitcase and Pua. That expression of _anger and confusion_ as her mother hugged him so tightly, holding him back just long enough to let her go on. She couldn’t help but wonder; did they feel right now the same way Anna did? Had she hurt them the same way Elsa had hurt Anna now?

 _“I’m sure…”_ Moana started, glancing down at the linen sheets draped around her as she tried to choose her words carefully. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to hurt you. **_No,_** _”_ she looked back up at her friend, the fire in her eyes alive with certainty. “I **_know_** she didn’t mean to.”

            Moana maybe have not known a thing about losing a loved one, but she did know quite a bit about running away from family.

            Anna’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know-”

 ** _“I do,”_** Moana assured her, her voice stern, yet loving.  “When I was running away from home…I didn’t really stop to think how it made my parent feel. Not until it was too late. I was so caught up in finding my own freedom I couldn’t think about anything else. And I’m sure…I’m _positive_ …that right now, Elsa’s caught up in that feeling, too. Things aren’t the same as they were before you two made up in Arendelle. You two have _changed,_ both of you have; you understand each other so much more now. And when she calms down, I _know_ she’s going to realize everything.”

            “I just hope it’s not too late,” Anna replied softly, her gaze meeting her friend’s. Through the pain and fear, Moana finally saw the one thing she’d been praying for looking back at her.

**Hope.**

# PART II

 

            “You think it’ll work?” Hiro looked up at Honey Lemon hopefully, handing her the last few chemballs she’d been producing in the lab the day before.

            “I’m not sure, but it’s worth a shot,” she sighed, packing up into her dispenser. “This stuff managed to set fire to almost everything it touched, right? The ice might not melt normally, but these balls don’t ignite normally, either.”

            Hiro nodded, putting on his helmet.

            “Did you confront Anna?”

            The boy shook his head. “Not yet. I think the explosion was an accident.”

            Hiro still didn’t understand most of what was happening. The average body temperature couldn’t withstand _near_ 90⁰, but below freezing? In an sort of scientific sense, it didn’t add up. If hehad believed in magic, Hiro would have dared to call it supernatural. That was, if he had. Regardless, it was clear that Elsa had no intentions of hurting anyone else- at least intentionally, and there were far too many unknowns in this situation for him to investigate as deeply as his curious mind would have liked. So for now, their team had only two goals: to defused the ice and bring her home safe.

            The boy nodded his head to the garage door, urging Honey to follow suit.

             “C’mon, let’s go heat things up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to @salemlucidester for helping me figure out chapter. ^^


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for a trip to the dentist's, because this contains some (poorly written) tooth-rotting Hiroana fluff. Enjoy!

**_“Moana!”_ **

            Hiro stood panting in the doorway of the hospital room, his heart beating heavily as his ears flushed red, his body all too deprived of much-needed oxygen. The teen must have at least dodged three nurses to break into her hall. _Yes_ , they’d said that visiting hours had ended at 8 p.m. And _yes_ , it wasn’t even five in the morning. But like _hell_ Hiro cared. It had been nearly two days since he’d last seen Moana, unconscious and bleeding in his arms. He _needed_ to see her right then and there. He _needed_ to know she was alright. So much so that he’d practically torn from the scene as the ice on the frozen apartments began to evaporate; so much so that he’d ran nearly three blocks before realizing he’d forgotten to take off his super suit and had left Honey Lemon and Baymax behind. So much so that he’d been running ever since.

            The girl jolted on her bed, groaning as she stretched beneath her sheets, sitting up just enough so that she could investigate. She blinked, surprised to see her friend hunched over breathlessly against the door frame, only the edges of his dim silhouette illuminated by the light from the hall behind.

 _“…Hiro?”_ she whispered confusedly, yawning as she rubbed her eyes.

            The boy perked straight up, his eyes growing warm as he saw her figure in the dim light of the room. She was _breathing._ She was _awake._ Hiro gave a shaky breath and a bright smile, too relieved for words.

            “What…time is it?” The girl asked groggily, squinting her eyes as she tried to read the clock from across the room.

 _“I-I’m sorry. I just wanted to see you,”_ Hiro whispered back coyly, nervously running a hand over the back of his neck. “I heard you were in the hospital, and I got scared.”

            Moana’s gazed drifted back to him as she gave an amused grin. “I’m not **_dead_** , you know.”

            “Yeah, but you _could_ have been,” he humbly protested, taking a shy step into the room. Peeking his head out the door nervously, he made sure that none of the nurses had caught up just yet before closing the it as quietly as possible, hoping that they wouldn’t figure out where he was for a good while longer.

 _“What are you doing?”_ Moana whispered back suspiciously, pulling herself up the rest of the way on her bed.

            “Visiting hours are over,” Hiro admitted, trying his best to stumble his way through the dark towards her, nearly tripping over her dinner table in the process.

            “Then _why_ are you here?”

            “I might have broken a few rules to get in,” Hiro nonchalantly admitted, climbing into the chair beside her.

            “Good grief, why am I not surprised?” Moana snorted as she tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. She watched him struggle as he found his way around, his clumsiness admittedly a bit charming to her.

            “Oh, come on, like you _haven’t_ broken into a hospital before,” Hiro retorted.

            Moana giggled, rolling her eyes at the teen. “No, not a _hospital_ , per say.”

            “I rest my case,” he replied pointedly.

            The two watched each other silently for a little while, enjoying the other’s presence in the silence of the early morning. Hiro’s eyes finally were given the chance to adjust to the room. He could see Moana more clearly now, and she looked _perfect_. Even in the darkness of the hospital room, wrapped in blankets and bandages, she was amazing to him. She was strong-willed; she was a fighter. And it never ceased to amaze the boy, even in the weeks he had known her.

            Moana watched him curiously, noticing a strange glint starting to appear in his eyes.

            “What’s that look for?” she asked shyly, tilting her head and adverting her eyes. She played with her hair nervously, twisting it over her shoulder.

            Hiro blinked, his cheeks glowing brightly as he immediately looked away, not realizing how intently he’d been staring. _“Sorry, just tired,”_ he quickly fibbed, fidgeting anxiously.

            Not buying his excuse, Moana couldn’t fight the small smile creeping up on her lips, her own face warming slightly. _“That’s what happens when you break into a hospital at 4:30 in the morning, lolo,”_ she teased, snickering under her breath.

            “Why do I feel like that’s an insult?” Hiro returned, giving her a flat look as he glanced back up.

            “Depends on how you interpret it,” Moana playfully shrugged, quickly sticking out the edge of her tongue at him.  Hiro narrowed his eyes, mischievously returning the gesture.

            “Hey, don’t get cocky just because I’m bedbound. I could still crush you if I wanted,” Moana warned spiritedly, chuckling at the boy.

            “Yeah right,” Hiro shot back. “I’d like to see you _try_.”

            “Is that a challenge?” Moana asked impishly, crossing her arms as she quirked a brow at him.

            “Maybe,” Hiro taunted with a smirk, leaning in on his chair closer to her.

            Moana’s eyes suddenly lit up with a terrifyingly wild passion. Before Hiro had time to comprehend what was happening, the girl was already flying off of her bed, tossing her sheets to the side as she jumped into the air and tackled him. Hiro gave a yelp, his chair crashing backwards onto the floor as she landed on top of him. Giggling feverishly, Moana tucked her hair back as she pulled herself up, displaying a triumphant smile as she kept his arms pinned to the floor with a single hand.

 _“You were saying?”_ she teased, pulling herself off of him to let the poor kid breathe. Hiro’s heart was racing a mile a minute as he found it next to impossible to breathe, all the blood rushing to his face. He could barely find the capacity to think, let alone sit up.

            Moana laughed, offering him a hand. The boy shakily took it, his defeated strength and pride letting her help him up. His eyes drifted to her abdomen, where a small, dark stain had formed on her hospital dress.

            “Moana, you’re bleeding,” he interjected, giving the teen a worried glance.

 _“Oh, it’s just a flesh wound,”_ Moana shook off nonchalantly, still chuckling as she pulled herself back up onto her bed. Hiro gave her a hesitant look. She seemed well enough, at least. The sound of footsteps could be heard far down the hall, undoubtedly in response to the loud commotion they’d both just made.

            “Now might be a good time for your _heroic_ exit, nerd,” she whispered, readjusting herself beneath her sheets.

            Hiro’s heart still racing from adrenaline, he gave her a simple nod with the wave of his hand.

 _“See ya,”_ he whispered back, heading for the window and tumbling out. He quickly reshut it moments before the nurses arrived, his cheeks still burning bright as he crawled away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd also like to quickly add in that Moana's room was on the first floor of the hospital, hopefully before someone assumes that Hiro just jumped to his death. He can't die. (Yet.)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay with this one! Classes are starting up and had my birthday this weekend. This one's a bit longer (finally), but I hope you all enjoy! ^^

# PART I

 

            “You warm enough?” Hiro glanced over at his friend, his attention drawing away from his phone. The girl shivered, pulling the blue hoodie draped over her shoulders tighter around her frame, scooting closing to him on the park bench. She’d been in San Fransokyo for nearly six months now, and the cold of the Californian Northwest was _incomparable_ to the worst of the winters back in Montunui. Moana wasn’t sure she could even _feel_ her hands anymore, despite the warmth of her friend’s jacket.

            The boy chuckled, shaking his head at her. “You know, it’s only fifty one degrees here. You should try visiting Washington sometime. I hear the weather there is even _better._ ”

            Moana flashed him a dirty look, refusing to open her mouth in fear of her voice quivering from the chill nipping at her. She sure as _hell_ wasn’t about to give Hiro more fodder to feed his entertainment at the moment. Her glare steadily narrowed as his lips found their way into a devilish smirk. She was just _itching_ to tackle him, and every little cocky gesture Hiro was making was only bringing her two steps closer to doing so.  

            “What’s _that_ look for?” Hiro laughed, crossing his arms, far too amused by her suffering.  Finally at her limit, Moana stomped on his foot.

 _“Ouch!”_ he gasped, pulling his leg up and cradling it.  The teen took his own turn to give her an unamused glare. Moana smiled triumphantly, sitting up straight as she happily looked back at the school garden. After all, revenge _was_ a dish best served cold.

            Hiro bit down on his lower lip, playfully shoving his shoulder against hers in retaliation.

 _“H-hey!”_ Moana laughed, finally breaking her silence. The teen nudged her again- and _again_ \- until finally she was fighting to control her laughter, doing her best to push him away.

            “Okay, okay!” she pleaded gleefully, her cheeks warming against the cold air around them.

            “I win?” Hiro asked with a hopeful grin.

            “Not this time, nerd,” Moana teased, giving the boy a light shove back. The two teenagers laughed for a little while longer, letting themselves defuse. Moana looked back out towards the winding lawn ahead of them, her cheeks still caught up in a rosy glow. She watched the infamous school llama huddled under probably a half a dozen blankets in a gazebo about thirty yards off, dramatically sobbing against one of the pillars.

            “Why do you guys let that poor thing stay out here in the cold?” she asked, glancing back at Hiro. Moana looked on as the llama bleated almost melodramatically, covering its hooves over its eyes and sinking down into the pavement.

            “We don’t know where it came from!” Hiro nearly squeaked, Moana jumping slightly at his sporadic reaction. “We’ve called the animal rehabilitation center about five times now, but he keeps breaking out of the van and coming back. At this point, the school’s just given up and adopted him as the new mascot.”

 _“Seriously?!”_ Moana chuckled in disbelief, watching as a female student came up the steps to greet the poor creature, offering him some of her lunch. The llama whimpered, cuddling into her side as she hugged him, fulling taking advantage of her attention.

            “Yeah. The Vice President keeps trying to get him permanently removed by the police, but _all_ the students keep protesting,” the teen replied, rolling his eyes and sinking back into the bench. “This place has gotten even _weirder_ since the last president left.”

            “At least he’s safe- _mostly?”_ Moana returned, shrugging back at him.

            “Yeah, I guess. Never seen an animal so contently miserable, though,” Hiro sighed, checking his phone once more. He flipped through his screen, reading his messages. There was a long pause between them as he seemed to be caught up in some sort of intense conversation. Moana recognized the serious, pensive look on his face, knowing it all too well. _He was about to leave again._ The boy looked up at her worriedly, his knees anxiously knocking into one another.

            “Hey, I’m really sor-“

            “ ** _It’s fine._** I mean, _I’ll_ be fine,” she interjected immediately, tired of hearing the same old spiel. Every time she saw him, every time they were enjoying each other’s presence, something would always come up. It was always another excuse; always another apology. She was tired.

 _“-o-oh,”_ Hiro replied, his eyes drifting away as he was caught off-guard by her abruptness. He lifted himself to his feet, shyly offering her a hand.

            “I think I’m gonna stay here a bit longer, but thanks,” she replied, forcing a smile onto her lips.

            “In the cold?” Hiro asked, watching her doubtedly.

            “I’ll be fine,” Moana brushed off, looking away. “It sounds urgent. You should go.”

            The boy merely nodded his head. He watched her apologetically, as if hesitating to speak for a moment longer before running off.

 

 

 

# PART II

 

            Moana wandered aimlessly down the streets of the city, staring haphazardly into shop windows as she walked alone. Shortly after her departure from the hospital nearly five months ago, Anna had left San Fransokyo to follow after her sister. She insisted that there wasn’t much of a reason left to stay; Elsa would probably face charges if she dared return, and with their apartment gone, she didn’t really have any home left here. Moana had been fortunate to find another schoolmate kind enough to let her crash in their home until her exchange program ended in the spring. But with Anna gone and Hiro being so evasive and absent, the girl had begun to wonder if she had made the right decision to leave Montunui. She had left everything behind for the sake of adventure- her home, her town, the _warmth_. Yet no matter how she tried, she couldn’t find a reason other than obligation to remain here. Yes, she longed for adventure. She wanted to learn _more_ about the world; Montunui was beautiful and the people were kind, but her island was struggling. It was small and overshadowed by many larger islands nearby. And as the months past, it only showed more and more.

            Again and again, she’d received word from her mother, begging for her to come home. The crops were wilting, tourism was down, and the town didn’t just need money, but _help._ Staying here in San Fransokyo each day, trying to find a _purpose_ for staying, only brought her more guilt as time passed.  What could she do here- _what could she learn-_ to help her people back home? Should she leave or stay? She could only pray to the Gods for an answer to that very question.

**_Who am I?_ **

            Pulling the hood of Hiro’s jacket over her head, the girl paused, catching sight of a familiar scene from behind one of the glass windows. She stood there silently, watching Hiro’s aunt smile, chatting away with one of her customers as she served them. Her heart ached, the homesickness only intensifying.   _Why couldn’t she be satisfied here?_

            Moana jolted as her phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket, nearly crashing into the window beside her. Her hands shaking from the miserable weather, she clumsily pulled in out.

            Her heart stopped; it was the first message from her father since she had left the island.

 **[10:43 a.m. DAD]** Grandma is fading. She wants to see you.

 **[10:44 a.m. DAD]** Please, Moana. Come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I started writing this story, I originally planned to make it into a two-part series. I wanted to write the first story to set up character relationships and their histories with one another before jumping into the main events of the second part. That being said, as this fic is in some ways a prelude to a lot of the long-term ideas I have planned. I'll probably be wrapping it up within the next two chapters before moving on to the next one (which I plan to make much longer for spoilers I can't reveal just yet). 
> 
> This has been my first fic on Ao3, and I want to thank EVERYONE so much for all you support and comments. I'm so, so happy you guys have enjoyed the story thus far, and it means the world!


	13. The Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so we reach the climax of our story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: The next chapter will be an epilogue before I start writing the second part of the story. I hope you guys enjoy. ^^

            There was no question any longer; Moana knew where fate called her now. She sat nervously in the back of the café, the very place she’d met Hiro in what felt like so long ago. Her bags were already packed in her room. She’d scraped the last of her food money together to buy a one-way ticket for Montunui later that night. There was no turning back now.

            She knew she had but one task left to do; it was the hardest of them all.

_Saying goodbye._

            All the memories of Hiro were flying by with each passing moment. The chaos and the quiet moments; the silly and the deep. In such little time so much had happened, and despite the pain of letting everything go, she’d been grateful for it all. Yet, her only fear now was hurting him. Would he understand? Would he feel the same?

            The teen had played with her straw wrapper for so long that it had begun to tear apart. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could bear to wait for him. _Maybe it would be better to just go._

            No.

            She **_needed_** to do this.

            She took a deep breath, finally gathering up the strength to look up from the table. _He was still nowhere in sight._ Her eyes met with Cass’s from across the register and she immediately panicked, glancing back down at her menu. She could hear the woman’s footsteps coming ever closer, knowing that her efforts were in vain. But she still couldn’t muster the strength to look back up.

            “Sweetie, is everything alright? You’ve been looking at your menu for an hour now,” the woman asked with a tender tone. _Why did everything make this so much harder?_ Moana kept her eyes on the first page, her fingers running along the edge.   


            “I-is Hiro back yet?” she asked anxiously.

            Cass sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t think he’s coming back for a while, but the café closes in fifteen minutes. If you need to see him though, you can stay as long as you’d like, dear.”

            “Thank you,” Moana replied faintly, her voice reduced to little more than a whisper. The guilt was eating her alive with each passing moment. It was as if the gods were punishing her for leaving as much as they were for staying.  

            Before she knew it, the streets outside had become quieter, the overhead lights had become dimmer as Cass had cleaned up the café, departing to the second floor to relax for the remainder of the evening. The faint buzz of static from the television from across the room rung gently against Moana’s ears- the only prevalent sound other than the occasional passing car that kept her from facing the jarring silence. _This was agony._

            Just as the girl had looked up at the clock, fearing that she’d have to resign, the distant clamor of footsteps could be heard pounding on the sidewalk outside. Moana leapt out of her seat, spinning around to face the door as it swung open. There finally stood a disheveled Hiro in all his glory, still trying to catch his breath.

He perked up as he caught sight of his friend, surprised to see her in the lobby at such an hour. Moana could only stare back at him, the vulnerable look in her eyes all but an open book for him to read. His shock melted into a concerned gaze, silently questioning what had happened. Moana’s hand tightened its grip on the booth cushion as she looked away, biting her bottom lip.

            Every part of her would have given almost _anything_ to not have to go through with this now.

            “Hey,” Hiro finally started in a breathless voice, still trying to regain his composure.

            _“Hi,”_ Moana’s voice weakly managed.

            Another long pause emulated between them.

            Hiro took a step towards her, away from the door. But Moana immediately stepped back, wrapping her arms around herself.

            “What’s wrong?”

            Another agonizing moment of silence took its turn.

            “Hiro,” Moana replied quietly, her voice quivering. _“I’m leaving.”_

            The boy blinked back at her, as if unable to comprehend what she meant.

            “What… _what?”_

            “I’m **_leaving_** , Hiro,” she repeated, a bit more firmly. She took a shaky breath, finally daring to glance up at him. Their eyes met as she caught the raw look of silent heartbreak and confusion in his. This time, he was the one to look way, leaving her to watch him.

            “My grandmother is ill. My family asked me to come home,” Moana interjected, trying to defend herself as she daringly stepped forward. Hiro had lost his brother a year ago; remembering now, she had confidence that he of all people would understand her reasoning, at the very least.

            “I’m so sorry,” Hiro replied mildly, looking back at her. Empathy fought through the pain in his eyes. A small sense of relief washed over Moana, her prayers that the worst would not come to pass seeming to have finally been heard. Yet, just as quickly, that relief was snatched away once again.

_“You’re coming back…right?”_

            Moana’s heart shattered. There was a fragile look in his eyes, an innocent hope that she knew would be painfully undone the moment she spoke again. She clasped a hand over her mouth, her eyes screwing shut as tears streamed down her face.

 _“I-I’m so sorry…”_ she whispered, her shoulders shaking violently. _“I c-can’t.”_

            The fear washed over her. She couldn’t bear to look at him- to stay in this silence any longer. Bursting into heavy tears, she made a run for the door. She felt her arm be pulled back, a firm hand clutched around it. She gritted her teeth, fighting half-heartedly to pull away.

            “H-Hiro, _please._ I need to get r-ready for my flight,” she begged feebly, her voice cracking between her sobs. _He wouldn’t let go._

_Why wouldn’t he just let her go?_

            Desperate, she looked back at him. His eyes were wide, urgent as he silently pleaded for her to stay.

            “Hiro, I can’t leave my family, again. _Please-_ “

            “Moana, don’t do this!” He shot back, his own voice hardly stronger than hers. “We can find a way for you to come back. You could stay here!”

            “I don’t have a choice! I made a mistake; I should have _never_ left Montunui.”

            “You’re wrong!” Hiro yelled back, his grip on her tightening as his voice suddenly found its strength. Moana paused, forfeiting the struggle, if for a moment, in shock.

            Hiro’s eyes widened, suddenly realizing his abrasiveness. He immediately let her go, stepping away as he wrapped his arms around himself. There was a soft look in his damp eyes, as if he was nearly ready to admit defeat, only holding out on his last resort. Moana held her arm to her side, watching him quietly.

 _“You weren’t a mistake, though,”_ she reassured gently, a bittersweet smile finding itself upon her lips.

            Hiro looked back at her. His eyes were large, his body suspended in hesitation for a mere moment before stepping forward onto his toes. Moana’s eyes widened, her body growing stiff as she felt his warm breath meet hers, his lips ever so hesitantly brushing over hers.

_Was he…?_

            Panicking, Moana immediately pushed him away. _She couldn’t do this. Not now._

 **“Hiro,”** she replied firmly, keeping the boy at a shoulder’s length. “We can’t. We’re…I’m…”

            Moana struggled to find the right words. If it had been a better place, a better time, this moment would have been _everything._ But her grandmother was _dying._ Her people needed her back. Even if she returned his feelings; even if she, deep down, had wanted to do the same, it would have never worked. She couldn’t promise him a future that they could never have. How could Moana even _begin_ to tell him that with so little time left? She looked back up at him, his broken heart openly reflecting in his eyes. She panicked, her heart racing.

            “I-it’s just. You’re fourteen and I’m…older. It would be weird-”

            Her eyes widened as he stepped back, biting her tongue with such ferocity that it stung. _What had she said?! Out of all the poor excuses she could have come up with-_

 _“Yeah, you’re probably right,”_ Hiro replied. He gave a weakly bitter smile, his voice on the verge of breaking as the tears welled up in his eyes.

_The damage had been done._

            Moana knew there was nothing else she could say now. Or at least, that she trusted herself to.

 _“I’m sorry,”_ she whispered, turning her head away. “I’ll keep in touch, I promise.”

            “Yeah,” the boy merely responded. “Be safe out there.” He gave a weak sigh, turning away to head up to the stairs. Moana silently watched him, wishing she’d never come. _He would have been happier if we’d never met._

            Gritting her teeth, the girl pulled Hiro’s hoodie from around her shoulders. She reached up to hang it by the doorway as she departed. Yet, some strange urge inside her refused to let her leave it behind, no matter how much she knew she needed to. Biting her lip, she looked back into the hallway, seeing that he was gone. She clutched the jacket to her chest, opening the door and running into the cold winter’s night.

 _‘Someday,’_ she thought to herself, looking up at the San Fransokian skyline.

_Someday, somehow, she would make this right._


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the final chapter. Thank you so much to EVERYONE for all the support through writing this story. I hope you all enjoyed the journey, and I'll see you again soon in the sequel, Skylines. <3
> 
> You guys are the best!

            Hiro let his eyes fall shut as he felt the sea breeze meet his face. Stories below him rolled the waves of the ocean against the San Fransokyian shore, their crashing faintly reaching his ears. A sense of nostalgia welled up in his chest- a familiar, warm glow that was barely too hazy to make out in his mind. It was as if he and Baymax were no longer alone as they patrolled through the windy sky.

**_“Moana.”_ **

            The name quietly escaped in a whisper through his lips. The teenager opened his eyes as he recognized it, the memories of so long ago flooding back into his thoughts. It had been two years since they had last spoken, since he had last caught glimpse of her deep hazel eyes. While the pain had seemed raw for so long, it was if the wound had finally healed up over time, his memory of her fading into a vague haze. But now, in the first time in as long as the sixteen year old could remember, here she was yet again at the front of his mind.

            Yet, it was no longer sadness or bitterness that came with it. It was a sense of warmth- of comfort- that embraced him now. The same feeling that for a brief moment in time, they had once felt together. He gave a small smile, leaning down and glancing back at Baymax.

            “Come on, buddy. _Let’s go home_.”

 

* * *

 

 

            Across the waves of the Pacific, there stood a young woman, staring out into the horizon as her feet waded in the water. Her hand graced the water as she reached out, her fingers running across the smooth back of a passing stingray. She sighed, a loving look in her eyes as she remembered her grandmother. She knew that somehow, somewhere, she was gliding through the waves beyond, finally free to see the infinite world beyond the reef.

_“Moana!”_

            The young woman stood up, glancing back at the shore. There stood her father not too far behind, holding out a dufflebag.

            “The village wants to say goodbye before your head off the university!”

            Moana smiled, running back to the chief and gratefully receiving her bag, strapping it over her shoulder.

            “You don’t want to be late, do you?”

            “No, father,” the young woman smiled, hugging him tightly. She started to follow him back to village when she suddenly felt a familiar presence behind her. Moana turned back to gaze out at the horizon, her hair dancing gracefully against the wind. There was no one there, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of an old friend calling out to her on the other side, beckoning her to return. She closed her eyes, letting the comforting sensation embrace her for a lingering moment before turning back to her father. There was no more time to waste.

            For beyond the line between sea and sky, the skylines of San Fransokyo awaited her once more.

            And this time, she knew her purpose.


End file.
